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We believe that health is a basic human right and are bringing health in reach for all Coloradans by engaging closely with communities across the state through investing, policy and advocacy, learning and capacity building.Learn more

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Every day, our grantees and partners are breaking through barriers that prevent the most vulnerable Coloradans from being healthy. Insights and ideas from those efforts give us a deeper understanding into the state of health in Colorado.Learn more

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Chris Smith

Senior Program Officer

Focus Area: Healthy Communities

If you ask Chris’ colleagues about him, you’ll likely hear about two things: architecture and bicycles. A licensed architect, Chris’ expertise in design and urban planning has established him as a leader at the Foundation when it comes to the impact of the built environment on health. Chris advocates for places and spaces that are intelligently-designed, vibrant, inclusive and enhance the health of the people that use them. The underpinning of Chris’ philosophy is this: Everybody in Colorado, regardless of current or past circumstances, should have the same opportunity to be their healthiest self.

Chris applies that philosophy daily in his work, where he utilizes the full range of Foundation resources and his experience in economic development and affordable housing to improve community health. The highlights of Chris’ time at the Foundation have been working with grantees of the Colorado Fresh Food Financing Fund, helping to create the Healthy Housing Fund and serving as the Foundation’s representative on the national BUILD Health Challenge initiative. Most of all, Chris is thankful for the opportunity to help — and meet — people in communities across the state. From Colorado’s frontier and rural towns to the most urban areas — Chris is dedicated to the unique needs of Colorado’s diverse communities.

When he’s not doing the work of building healthy communities — he’s probably riding his bike through them. Most weekends, you’ll find Chris out on one of his bikes, riding through the Rockies. He brings that same exploratory spirit to the rest of his life as well, whether he’s capturing Colorado’s beauty through his camera’s lens or road-tripping to new and favorite spots. True to form, this architect admits that he is happiest when he’s making something — from designing buildings to baking homemade bread — or tinkering with the oven used to bake it.